


In our great sorrow, we learn what joy means

by Ephemeral_Joy



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: 1x06, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Idiots in Love, Love, basically instead of leaving gilbert at the grave she goes up to him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 14:56:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13033551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ephemeral_Joy/pseuds/Ephemeral_Joy
Summary: Instead of leaving a sombre Gilbert at his father's grave, Anne goes up to him. She offers him a smile and a hand, and he happily takes it.(or: what would have happened if Anne went up to him during the funeral in 1x06)





	In our great sorrow, we learn what joy means

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Sleeping At Last: "Sorrow"
> 
> \- not edited nor beta-ed -

Anne was impulsive, a go-getter, someone who reached for the stars and no less. It was unlike her to hesitate or hold back. But when she saw the sombre Gilbert staring with glassy eyes at his father’s grave, she halted in her steps. Would she walk up to him or not? Has he been hugged ever since his father had his stroke? Everyone seemed to shy away from him, afraid that he’d crumble under their touch. Anne bit her lip, noticing the people starting to walk away, back to the Blythe household where tea and treats were served. (When Marilla heard the news, she didn’t say a word. The woman merely nodded and turned her back to Anne, taking the flower out of the cabinet. ‘Someone needs to bake the treats for his funeral.’)   
She took a step backwards, along with the people, but her lips did something different.   
‘Gilbert.’ Her heart stuttered as she froze on the spot. Anne, she scolded, you shouldn’t blurt words out!   
He frowned, turning towards her as if he was surprised someone spoke to him. She clenched her hands, trudging towards him in her heavy boots.   
‘Are you ah…,’ she searched for words, eyes flitting from his eyes to the snow, ‘okay? – Wait, that’s a dumb question. _Of course_ , you’re not okay. I’m sorry for asking,’ her alarmed eyes found his, hoping he’d forgive her mistake. She didn’t know how to handle these situations. There was never someone to take care of her. She just had to deal with it. But she didn’t want the same fate for him, she knew how uplifting it felt to talk to someone about… well, anything.   
‘It’s fine, Anne,’ he said in a clipped tone, dragging a hand through his curls exhausted.   
‘Will you stay in your house?’, Anne asked cautiously. The last person disappeared from sight, it was just the two of them now.   
‘I don’t know.’   
‘Well,’ she said breezily, not sure what she was going to say, ‘look at it on the bright side: you’ll be very independent. No one saying what time you need to go to bed, or -,’ she saw the irritated look on his face as he stared at her, ‘That’s… that’s not what I mean.’ She huffed. Why couldn’t she just do something right for once?! Letting food burn, getting drunk with Diana, … she sure wasn’t smart sometimes.    
‘I’m _sorry_ , Gilbert. I’m just trying to make you feel better.’ She edged towards him. She read once that when people get close to each other, they share body heat. Perhaps – from a respectable distance, mind you – she could warm his heart, even just a little bit. Melt the cold edges that have formed after his last family member died.   
He tugged his lips upwards, a lopsided smile forming on his face.  
‘It’s okay, Anne. I’m glad you’re, ah, trying.’   
She shuffled slightly closer.   
‘I think you’ll be okay. Eventually,’ she confessed. ‘You’re super smart. You’ll figure it out.’ She blushed slightly. Anne wasn’t used to compliment the boy she was supposed to hate.   
He smirked, ‘You think I’m smart.’   
Anne narrowed her eyes, challenging him, ‘I will deny ever saying that to you.’  
This time, he genuinely smiled, and Anne’s heart lurched in pride. She made Gilbert happy. Even for just a second. She mirrored his expression, smile splitting her face.

Suddenly, Gilbert closed the distance between them and embraced her, arms circling around her waist and cheek on her shoulder. She froze for a moment, but – if Ruby ever asked, it _never_ happened – slung her arms around his shoulder and squeezed him tightly, giving him all her warmth and love and care that he needed at the moment. She knew what is was like to be alone, lonely, afraid. Glimpses of dead rats, cackling children and slapping belts haunted her dreams at night. She didn’t want that for Gilbert.   
A sob welled up from his throat, disrupting the silence with tears. She held him tighter, pressing her nose in his neck. For once, her heart didn’t hammer loudly at his proximity, but rather broke and splinter as sobs racked his body. His cheek slid of her shoulder and got replaced by his forehead, tears falling freely on the snow.    
‘It’s going to be okay, Gilbert. I promise. I _know_ it will.’

Eventually, his breathing became calm and his body relaxed. She slowly pealed herself away, but stayed close, keeping her hands at the rims of his black scarf. His eyes still shone from the previously shed tears, but a lively fire was alight against behind his green irises. She smiled.   
‘Did I make you feel better?’   
Gilbert laughed, eyes crinkling and nose sniffling. With an adorable smile that made her widen her eyes, he tugged at the blue ribbon of her braids. She looked down, knowing she was smiling like a fool. He was close and was being so… Gilbert. She was overcome with the feeling of kissing him. Fearing it, she dropped her hands abruptly. Just like she could hardly restrain herself from talking to the trees in the forest, she knew she’d try it if her hand remained on his jacket.    
‘Yeah,’ he trailed of. He coughed. ‘Do you want to go inside? I heard Marilla made scones.’  
Anne smiled, nodding. ‘Yeah. I helped!’  
Gilbert smirked at her, a teasing smile on his face. ‘They must be awful then.’  
‘Gilbert Blythe!’, she exclaimed, jaw dropping, ‘You are a barbarian! My scones are divine!’ That was a lie, but he didn’t need to know that.  
He laughed, loudly and unapologetic.

Anne mentally groaned. How could she stay mad at him when he did _that_? That thing where his face just… lit up. She sought a word in her head to describe it, but was left fruitless. Ethereal, perhaps. Or simply beautiful.   
Gilbert Blythe looked beautiful when he laughed.

He opened the door for her, and closely followed her inside. His stance seemed to go rigid again, under the careful gaze of the adults. His eyes flitted towards her, and she smiled encouragingly back. If anyone could survive this, it was Gilbert.

She huffed discreetly. Could she like him any more than she already did? Absolutely ridiculous, truly.


End file.
